Golf fans left short-changed by long weather delays at the 144th Open
Last Updated: 18/07/15 6:41pm
Spectators from around the world have expressed their frustration at the lengthy weather delays that have forced the 144th Open into a fifth day at St Andrews.
With 42 players unable to complete their second rounds on Friday following torrential rain in the morning, high winds caused a further delay of over 10-and-a-half hours on the third day.
The R&A were forced to abandon plans to attempt to finish the tournament as scheduled on Sunday, opting to complete the second round on Saturday evening with the third round on Sunday and the final 18 holes on Monday for only the second time in Open history.
Thousands of customers who paid £80 for a ticket to day three were left short-changed by the elements, but there was a general acceptance of the situation as gusts of up to 45mph caused havoc on the greens and rendered conditions unplayable.
Stevie Scott, 52, of East Kilbride, said: "It is a bit disappointing. This is part of a birthday gift for my younger brother and we haven't seen any golf.
"But I am a golfer myself and I am pretty sure it would be very difficult in these conditions. The last thing I want to see is some of my heroes not performing the way they can. It is too important a competition.
"At the end of the day, you're in Scotland. You can see four seasons in 10 minutes, never mind a day. That is just the way it is."
Scott's brother Robert added: "It is clearly disappointing but St Andrews is a beautiful place, there is a lot to see. We have still had a fantastic day and if we see some golf before we go home that will be the icing on the cake."
Dreams dashed
Dan Powers of Schererville, Indiana, refused to let the weather ruin his trip even though he flies home on Sunday. The 56-year-old said: "This has been my dream for 20-plus years. But I was here yesterday, so thank goodness I got to see a lot of golf.
"We have paid a lot of money for this trip and to not be able to see the third round is somewhat frustrating, but it is Mother Nature and there is not too much we can do about it."
Erica Sandeveldt, 41, from Stockton, California, said: "We're just having a good time. It stinks we are not seeing any action right now but we're just enjoying the town and the atmosphere."
But others were questioning why the players were not battling through the elements, including Mark Christiansen, a 43-year-old American who now lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said: "We flew up for the weekend on Friday with our buddies and we have spent the day drinking, waiting for the wind to die down. That's a good time, it's not to be underrated.
"But we will be disappointed if we don't see some golf, it's a long way to come. I'm kind of annoyed, I think they should play. They should just tee off. As long as there is light they should start playing.
"We were watching on TV earlier and the ball was blowing all around. I don't know how you can play golf in that - but for as much as money as these guys make, they should probably play golf in this."
The R&A announced that Saturday tickets would be eligible for a 60 per cent refund with Monday admission being charged at £10, free for U16s accompanied by an adult.
